Spring in France
I am getting used to the spring weather in France. It could be a week of sunshine with temperature averaging high teens. I would be running with just a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Like a changeling, the beautiful weather might be swiftly replaced by a week of dark clouds, with temperature in the lower teens, and with rain looming.
Going for a run
I woke up to a day of the latter. Light gray clouds scattered across the sky with an occasional ray of sunlight sneaking through, and then quickly slithered away. Méteo France forecasted rain today. I was missing my weekly session of speed workout on the tracks. Donned a pair of knee-length running tights with a layer of IceBreaker over my t-shirt, I pushed myself out of the flat, before I could find an excuse not to run.
Along the way
It was about 1.5km from my flat to the tracks. I started with a slow jog to the bottom of the hill.
Warm weather is coming
As I descended, I noticed that another eatery, in anticipation of warmer spring days, had set up a wooden platform outside its entrance so that tables and chairs could be placed for customers who wished to dine alfresco. The owner of the eatery seemed to have delayed the plans of placing the outdoor furniture until the return of the warmer weather.
A gloomy weather befitting a gloomy occasion
At the bottom of the hill, I dropped my pace as I saw, across the road at the entrance of Church Saint Martin Saint Laurent, a casket being placed into a hearse. It was a weather befitting a gloomy occasion.
River Yvette
I continued my run on the pedestrian path that ran along River Yvette. An old man with his back facing me, holding a long fishing pole, was standing by the green shrubs that lined the sides of the river.
Blossoming among the shrubs were the small bunches of petit white flowers (think it is called Fool’s Parsley’s) which are ubiquitous in the spring season. Scattered on the grass were short stalks of Marguerite Daisy, with their radiating petals around a core.
At the first glance, I just saw a blackish mound on the grass. A sudden movement caught my attention. My second glance revealed, what seemed to be large river rat curled up into a ball.
The rain was still being held at bay. When I reached the running tracks, there was no one. No surprises being that it was a late morning on a weekday. Good. I got to have the whole facility to myself.
Rain as my running companion
It started raining soon after I started on my first lap. The rain was light, and surprisingly not cold. I hardly noticed the rain as I concentrated on maintaining my pace in the first lap, while vainly regulating my laboured breathing. My legs felt heavier than usual and my watch later confirmed that my timing was slower than the previous sessions. Could it be that the new gym sessions that I recently implemented proved to be a little too much for me?
Rain continued to fall. Intermittent. Tiny raindrops clung to my layer of Icebreaker; set against the black background, the raindrops seemed to be shimmering. It was the first time that I noted that the chirping of the birds would rise and fall with the start and the stop of rain.
Other companions
Later, a group of pupils arrived, and settled outside the running tracks. It seemed to be a class outing; groups of two or three pupils scattered in all directions, each pupil had a piece of paper in his/her hands. They seem to be playing some sort of searching games. It was good to see that the system here does not overprotect her children – a run in light rain does no harm to anyone.
I was glad that I managed to finish my targeted number of laps. My days always look much brighter after a run.
Time to go home so that I would not be late for my French class. A morning of little things to jumpstart the day.
